Price indicator



May 2, 1933. c. E. KOLB ET AL PRICE INDICATOR Filed Sept. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS, 1 flare/e. M1

Y WM? /4W/e7, M R WA TTORNEYS Patented May 2, 1933 UNITED STATES F CE CLYDE E. KOLB AND RUSSELL M. KNEISLEY, 'OFDAYTONJ OHIO I PRICE INDICATOR Application filed September 19, 1931. Serial no. 563,734.

This invention relates to price indicators for use in places where the prices of commodities are to be displayed neatly and conspicuously, but are subject to change.

As an example of a place where our indicators may be used we mention filling stations for automobiles. In filling stations it is desirable to display the prices of gasoline conspicuously, and it is also desirable to be able to change the prices frequently and easily. Our invention is designed to fill this want. Another object is to provide a sign that will always appear clean and neat.

We shall now describe our invention in detail, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front view of our indicator. It is to be understood that the reverse side appears just as this side does, save that the knobs at the right side would then appear at the left side;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 in Fig. 2.

Our indicator comprises a casing composed of metal and glass. In Fig. 1 the casing is seen to consist of a border 10, enclosing top and bottom panels 11 and 12, and a glass 13, behind which the price of a commodity appears in large plain figures. Inside of the casing is a rectangular frame which supports the mechanism. This frame is composed of channel-like members 15, with their flanges 16-16 extending outward. At 1717 the flanges are cut and curled outward to form stops which keep the glasses 1313 in place.

See Fig. 2.

J ournaled in the vertical members 15 are four rollers, 20, 21, 22, and 23. A broad tape 24 is carried by rollers 20 and 22. That is, one end of the tape is wound on roller 20 and the other end is wound on roller 22. A similar tape, 25, is similarly mounted on rollers 21 and 23. Of course the ends of the tapes are secured to the rollers in any suitable way. By means of thumb knobs 26 on the protruding ends of the rollers the rollers can be rotated and more or less of tape'24 can be wound on roller 20 or roller 22, accordingto which roller is rotated. The tape carries a series of numerals, say from 10 to '80, and by turning the knob on the roller 20 or roller 22 any desired numeral can be brought into the sight opening. Rollers 21 and 23 carrya similar tape, 25, which canbe similarly adjusted. The rollers are kept position endwise by the knobs 26' on one end and 'by nuts 27 on the "other end. h

For the purpose of keeping the rollers stationary, and-to keep the tapes taut,we provide brakes for the rollers,'in the form of flat springs 28, each of which serves two rollers. Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that at their centers the springs 28 set in slots in short pieces of angle iron 29 that are secured to the frame members 15; This is found to be a very simple but effective way to impart the required tension to the springs. p

As will be readily inferred, the tapes may be provided with any desired numerals. Those mentioned above would be suitable for a filling station, itbeing assumed that the price of gasoline will not go below 10 or above 30 cents a gallon. The tapes can be made of any suitable material; we have found certain kinds of paper satisfactory. The panels 11 and 12 afford space for indicia of various kinds. 7 For example, the word I-Iigh might appear on the panel-11 and the word Test on the panel 12. Beside each numeral on the tape is a table showing the cost of various numbers of gallons at that price per gallon. Thus the filling station attendent and the customer are sure to have before them, in plain figures, the cost of any quantity of gas oline at the price in effect at that time, with no danger of referring to the wrong table. The tables change as the price changes, so there is no chance of mistake.

I/Ve have shown the preferred construction for our indicator but we do not want it understood that we are limited to the particu I lar structure shown, for various structural modifications are possible without departure from the spirit of our invention. Having shown and described what at this time we ibo regard as the preferred embodiment of our invention, we claim as our invention:

1. In a price indicator, a rectangular frame, rollers ournaled in opposite members of said frame, a tape wound on said rollers so it extends across one open side of said frame, brakes whereby to hold said rollers stationary and the tape taut, a plate of glass covering the open side of said frame that is covered by the tape, lugs on the edges of the frame for keeping the glass in place, and

a casing enclosing the whole, having a sight opening registering with the glass, thereby exposing the portion of the tape behind the glass.

2. In a price indicator, a rectangular frame composed of channel-like members, the flanges of the channels extending outward, rollers journaled in the webs of opposite channels, a tape wound on said rollers so it extends across one open side of the frame, knobs on the rollers whereby to rotate them, brakes housed in one of the channels whereby to keep the rollers from rotating, a plate of glass covering the part of the frame through which the tape is seen, and a casing enclosing the whole, having a sight opening which registers with the glass, thereby exposing the portion of the tape behind the glass.

3. In a price indicator, a rectangular frame composed of channel-like members, the flanges of the channels extending outward, rollers journaled in the webs of opposite channels, tapes wound on said rollers so each tape stretches across one open side of said frame, a plate of glass covering part of each open side of the frame, lugs formed on the flanges of the channels holding the glasses in the required positions, and a casing enclosing the whole, having sight openings which register with the glasses, thereby enclosing said tapes but allowing indicia marked thereon to be read through the glazed sight openings.

CLYDE E. KOLB. RUSSELL M. KNEISLEY. 

